Last Thursday evening I attended my first Island
Park Chamber of Commerce meeting. At that meeting I submitted my membership
information with my annual dues. Being a member of the Island Park community
(Harbor Isle) I felt I would like to take an active role in helping the
community by participating in the Chamber. In response to my recent
published letter to the Chamber there were in attendance an excess of 35
people. A number of the people at the meeting advised me that it was the
largest meeting in many, many years.

My letter which was also emailed to the Chamber
membership raised the issue about the Chambers affiliation with a political
party and that party’s President’s running of the Chamber. The party of
cause is the Voice Party in which Glenn Ingoglia the Chamber President also
holds the office of President. What makes the situation even more critical
is Mr. Ingoglia is running for Mayor of Island Park and has continuously
been very negative about the municipal government he is running against.

Chambers operate as apolitical organizations. They
need to establish an alliance with the local government to help their job of
promoting the business community. If an officer of a chamber decides to
seek public office, they take a leave of absence. If they get elected, they
resign and step down from their chamber office. If they do not get elected
and their chamber office term has not expired, they may resume serving in
that office. Running for public office or being an officer of a political
party while holding a chamber office is a recognized conflict of interest.
Even further, when a chamber supports a political party it compromises the
chamber’s ability to work with the WHOLE community and the municipality’s
elected officials. It is the same principle as being a business in town and
not taking political sides. Involvement in politics prevents the Chamber
from being able to effectively work with the entire community! The chamber
should be involved with other chambers as well. The Island Park Chamber was
the only Nassau chamber not present at last month’s Nassau County Chamber
Breakfast meeting.

My letter came about when I had a recent phone
conversation with Mr. Ingoglia and he told me that the Chamber unanimously
supported the Voice Party, his running for mayor, and the development of the
Harbor Isle rental project (which since then was voted down by the Town of
Hempstead Council). He also accused me of saying negative things about the
Island Park Chamber. Things he never directly heard me say. The person who
told this to Mr. Ingoglia never attended the meeting but Mr. Ingoglia
proceeded to try and make the meeting about these untrue comments. Mr.
Ingoglia who is an attorney should know better, that all he was repeating
was meaningless hearsay.

Meanwhile, I came to the meeting because many
people had told me they were no longer active in the Chamber because of the
politics and having no say at all in the Chamber’s decision making. Many
people after reading my letter showed up to the meeting even though they
told me they probably couldn’t attend. The vast majority feel that the
Chamber is run by Mr. Ingoglia and Michael Scully. They feel they do not
have a say, so they do not participate. At the meeting when the discussion
came up about the politics and control of the Chamber better than 70% of
those present spoke up against how things are presently being handled and
wanted change. At one point a member yelled out “Glenn for mayor”. This in
itself, at a chamber meeting is inappropriate.

The meeting went on and Mr. Ingoglia was forced by
the membership to take nominations for the 2014 Slate of Officers. When the
nominating was over the slate of Glenn Ingoglia for President and Michael
Scully for 1st Vice President was challenged by Frank Naudus, Jr.
for President and Joe Pontecorvo for 1st Vice President. A slate
nominated by the Chamber membership.

The most troubling issue was
what transpired after the meeting. Many people relayed to me that
Mr.Ingoglia’s and his acquaintance became involved in a bar room brawl. Bar
room brawls seem to follow Mr. Ingoglia around. To me it is an embarrassment
to have a person(s) leading a community organization(s) being involved in
such heinous activity. Professionals, representatives of community
organizations or elected officials do not handle themselves in such a
manner. These actions are an embarrassment to the organization.

The Chamber needs change. It
is obvious. The membership introduced an opposing slate of officers. I would
like to be an active member in a Chamber that is NOT run by officers with an
agenda to advance their own political ambitions. Frank Naudus, Jr. as
President and Joe Pontecorvo as 1st Vice President are those
persons. Both candidates are second generation business owners in Island
Park. Neither of them is controversial nor have any political agenda. We
must have every member present at the next meeting in December when the vote
for 2014 Officers should be held. You have to take back your Chamber and
start the process of rebuilding the Island Park Chamber and business
community.